Just bought my first HTPC, need soundcard advice

allystew

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So this is the spec of my first HTPC

Specifications:
Processor: AMD FX 6300 6 Core 3.5GHz
RAM: 20GB DDR3
Hard Drive: 1.5TB Sata
Optical Drive: Blu-ray Sata
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce 210
Motherboard: GA 78LMT-USB 3
Audio: Realtek High Definition
Power Supply: AVD Micro ATX EZ450 Watt
Case: AVP Media Case
Operating System: Windows 10 64 Bit
USB 3.0

I paid £260 and it seemed like a good price however I have found that it will need a few extras to get it up and running. I have a 5.1 surround sound system I want to connect it to so I need a sound card that has an Opictal/SPDIF output and can handle AC3 5.1 and DTS sound formats. I want to be using Kodi as the main software. Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks
 
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Why not just use HDMI from the Geforce 210?

But the above will answer will work as well
 
Thanks for the replies guys. The reason I need the sound card is that I will be using an older Surround Sound reciever and it only has an Optical/SPDIF connection. HDMI is only for picture to my 40' Sony 1080p LCD TV.

Yes I know 20GB RAM is total overkill but I want to be able have other programs running in the back ground, maybe have a few files downloading and still be able to watch 1080p videos with proper surround sound.

I didn't order this HTPC, I just came across it at a local PC repair shop where the guy refurbishes and repairs. I bought it on sort of a impluse as I had been thinking about getting an Android set top box for Kodi but my laptop is on its way out so thought this would kill two birds with one stone.
 
Yeah, it's a little strange to have that amount of memory but previous owner might have used it for transcoding or something. My gaming PC has 8Gb and that's fine :).

If you're running Kodi then check out Kodi Launcher (used to be XBMC Launcher), it's a nifty thing that can replace your Windows shell so you don't see any Windows stuff at all on the way in. You should also be able to do some gaming using Advanced Launcher, certainly some emulations.

With Kodi, make sure you use your nVidia card for all the heavy lifting:

HOW-TO:Enable Hardware Accelerated Decoding via DXVA2 in XBMC for Windows - Kodi
 
Had a read through the reviews of that sound card and it seems to have problems with Windows 10.
 
Thanks for that useful link richardb70. That seems like really useful advice. I am 99% I want to run Windows with Kodi installed as I will use other Windows programs in the back ground.

I have been looking at sound cards most of the afternoon and it seems like a total mine field for getting a sound card and software to be compatible and play Dolby 5.1 (AC3), DTS 5.1 as well as let me passthrough Dolby True HD and DTS-HD.
 
Bear in mind that optical can't carry True HD and DTS-HD in bitstream format. It'll be fine with AC3 and DTS bitstreams but you'll need to decode any HD stuff to PCM first (and I think optical can only carry two channel PCM). If you have a soundcard with discrete multichannel analogue outputs (6+ phono cables) then that should be OK for the multichannel PCM.

HDMI receivers are much easier to manage :)
 
are you sure that the 20GB ram is not a a typo and its 2GB which would be much more common.

The mother board has S/PDIF Out so you dont need anythng else
 
Yes the mother board has SPDIF support as I just looked it up but there is definitely no port on the back. I am happy enough with regular Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 as thats all the speakers I have and have no plans to upgrade the receiver. As long as the setup can down convert the HD formats I will be happy enough.
 
It supports S//PDIF, the bracket for that is cheap enough.
 
I would go back to where you brought it, things sound too fishy memory normally would come as 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32GB so 20GB really sounds wrong.

And the mother board says it has a S/PDIF Out port so if you are not seeing it there is something wrong there too.
 
It's a header but Gigabyte make the bracket for it.
 
If you have to have Optical-SP/DIF, another option is a box to split this out from the HDMI, something like this one.
 
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I would go back to where you brought it, things sound too fishy memory normally would come as 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32GB so 20GB really sounds wrong.

And the mother board says it has a S/PDIF Out port so if you are not seeing it there is something wrong there too.

Unless the PC started out with 2 x 2GB sticks and was later upgraded with an additional 2 x 8GB sticks
 
I wondered about that, but it just seems weird.

A typo of 20GB when its really 2GB seems far more likely.

But who knows?
 

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